Our Take On PintPass and Beer Apps

We recently heard about PintPass, a new free app currently in its beta phase, which claims that people can get paid real money to drink at breweries. PintPass will also allow people to text their friends beers across the U.S.

According to its website PintPass generates a unique debit card for its users that can be used at any bar that accepts credit card. Users can earn beer money by responding to beer questions about style, environment where the beer was purchased and whether they’d recommend the beer to their friends.

That left us wondering how this will affect breweries, what the benefits are and whether this is truly different than any of the beer apps out there. That remains to be seen although this Facebook Live video probably answers some of those questions. The app will go live to the public on October 15th and you can learn more here.

We asked some cousins for their thoughts on the beer app based on the information available on the PintPass website.

Does the world need another beer app?

“No. The thing about craft beer is, it’s different for each individual. Appearance, aroma, flavors and all that are recognized differently from person to person. Beer apps are helpful, but I, personally, like to make my own opinion of a beer without others’ influence.” — Aimee

“I do not know if the world needs another beer app. I can say that the few beer apps that are out there do the things that “beer nerds” want. Apps like Untappd give drinkers information on beers and create a social media scape in which to share your thoughts on the beers you drink. I think the craft industry could benefit from beer apps that could connect the younger generations to the beautiful world of craft beer.” — Morgan

Do you think people are getting anything different from this than they do from untappd?

“From my perspective, it seems as this app is trying to collect beer insight to benefit more of the brewery side than the consumer side. The benefits that the consumers will get out of it is payment, not necessarily beer information. It’s hard to tell what kind of content the app will focus on and how the interface will look, but I don’t think it will be much different from untappd. The goal is to create a community of craft beer drinkers and form a consensus on favorite beers, beer descriptions, and such information.”

— Aimee

“The thing that people are getting is the beer money. From what I understand about PintPass from their website the more beers you drink the more pints you get for free. I think that giving anyone anything for free will give you a leg up.” — Morgan

Do you think people will buy into this over other beer apps?

“Breweries, potentially. Consumers, no.” — Aimee

“Free will always trump. The deciding factor for this app is the initial buy in by consumers. Do I think it will revolutionize the beer industry? No.” — Morgan

Other thoughts?

“I’m confused as to why this company would assume the customer knows what “text a beer” is? I sure don’t. It seems pretty vague on what it wants consumers to do besides the promise of money for downloading an app. I would consider trying it if it pointed out what else consumers would do in the app besides getting paid. Am I being too critical? Possibly, but constructive criticism is the most helpful in my opinion.” — Crystal

“I think that beer apps are a good attempt at connecting the industry to the consumer but I feel that they all seem to be the same or give the same information. I believe that there is innovation that can still be done through this platform but needs to be executed in the right way. I would love to see an app or platform that would educate consumers on where their beer comes from, a privately owned brewery vs. a giant conglomerate, or something else along those lines. Will we as consumers ever get what we need? That is for the tech industry to find out.” — Morgan

“Well, Morgan, we are going to blow your mind here because there is an app that does just what you asked for. It’s called Craft Check and it allows you to check which beers are actually craft.” — IHB

Do you agree with our opinions?

For more opinions on this topic, listen to Life Behind Beer Episode 24 where we discuss getting into home brewing, mixing craft beer, and this app.